This highly comprehensive study, conducted over two years by the team ofProf. Domenico Otranto of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Universitadegli Studi di Bari) Italy, with diagnostic support from the team of Dr.Edward Breitschwerdt at the North Carolina State University, USA, found thatdogs treated regularly with Advantix(R) spot-on had a greater than 90%reduction in CVBD cases, including a 100% reduction in new cases ofpotentially deadly leishmaniosis and a 94.6% decrease in ehrlichiosis.

The study also found that Advantix(R) provided 97.9% protection againsttick infestation, compared to untreated dogs, where 100% were infested at thepeak of the season. The level of protection offered by Advantix(R) was allthe more notable because of the particularly large numbers of ticks and sandflies and high prevalence of associated diseases like leishmaniosis orbabesiosis in the area of the study.

According to Prof. Otranto, "Our study shows the importance of protectingdogs with an effective treatment that repels as well as kills parasites liketicks and sand flies. Despite the high challenge faced by the dogs in ourstudy, nearly all our treated dogs remained free from ticks throughout mostof the study, and more than 90% remained free from CVBDs for the whole studytime."

"Because we included naive sentinel beagles in the study, we were alsoable to model what would happen to dogs travelling to areas where CVBDs arepresent. We found that by the end of the study, only the Advantix(R)-treatedbeagles remained protected from infection, while 80% of the untreated beagleswere infected with a CVBD. This demonstrates the very real need to protectdogs that are travelling to endemic areas", continued Prof. Otranto.

The study showed some interesting results with dogs that were positivewith CVBDs when they entered the study. Of these, half of those treated withAdvantix(R) were negative for CVBDs at the end of treatment, compared withonly 13% of untreated dogs. This suggests the potential for natural clearanceof CVBDs if a repellent treatment is used to prevent new transmissions.

This study was extremely comprehensive, studying both indigenous andintroduced naive puppies, monitoring for several CVBDs and working with Dr.Breitschwerdt's team in the USA to use highly sensitive molecular testingtechniques to ensure optimal diagnostic accuracy. According to Dr.Breitschwerdt, "This is the most comprehensive study, to my knowledge, everconducted testing the efficacy of a repellent ectoparasiticide to prevent thetransmission of a spectrum of CVBDs in young dogs."

"Thanks to this study we can see just how effective a treatment thatrepels as well as kills can be. With the increasing risk of CVBDs, I'd urgeall pet owners to speak to their vets about finding the right tick-preventionstrategy for their dog especially when travelling into endemic areas," saidleading parasitology expert, Dr. Luis Cardoso of the University ofTras-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal.

Sarah Weston, Global Veterinary Services of Bayer Animal Health said "Itis important to realise that with globalisation, climate change and theincrease in pet travel, many more pets now need to be protected from thesediseases that can be potentially fatal for both pets and humans. This studydemonstrates that using Advantix(R) is an effective way to protect pets frombites of ticks and sand flies, reducing the risk of CVBD transmission.

Bayer Animal Health has been researching in the field of parastitologyover the last 100 years. The company is committed to advancing the scientificunderstanding of parasitology by supporting the annual CVBD World Forum andan online guide that is educating pet owners around the world on the dangersposed by parasites http://www.youtube.com/user/parasitesundercover1.

For more information on canine vector-borne diseases and the CVBD WorldForum, please visit http://www.CVBD.org.

To view the full MMR release, including video interviews with the studyinvestigator and leading veterinary experts, please click here(http://bit.ly/CVBDprevention )

About the study

The study was conducted over two parasite seasons, and ran from March2008 to October 2009. It looked at two types of dog, puppies indigenous tothe area and naive sentinel beagle puppies.

A total of 111 indigenous dogs were enrolled alongside 20 naive sentinelbeagles. The dogs were randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a treatedgroup receiving Advantix(R) at 3-weekly intervals for the course of the studyor a control group receiving no treatment.

Please see the video 'Prof Otranto - Study design' for more informationfrom Prof. Otranto on the study design.

The backgrounder also includes additional information on the study andthe original study paper is available via the full MMR release.

About Bayer HealthCare

Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world'sleading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industryand is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the globalactivities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer Care andMedical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufactureproducts that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find moreinformation at http://www.bayerhealthcare.com.

With a turnover of EUR977 million (2009) Bayer HealthCare's Animal HealthDivision is one of the world's leading manufacturers of veterinary drugs. Thedivision manufactures and markets more than 100 different veterinary drugsand care products for livestock and companion animals.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on currentassumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known andunknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to materialdifferences between the actual future results, financial situation,development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. Thesefactors include those discussed in our annual and interim reports to theFrankfurt Stock Exchange and in our reports filed with the U.S. Securitiesand Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes noliability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to confirmthem to future events or developments.

http://www.news.bayer.com

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare

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